Hi all! I have been offered a job a job in Riga, and I have a couple of questions.

First of all, the salary would be 1800e gross, is this a decent amount? I’m used to the living standards of Northern Europe, while being able to save some money as well. Would this be possible with that amount? To my understanding rent is quite cheap, but heating/utilities are expensive, what kind of amounts can I expect?

Another thing on top of my mind is the treatment of the LGBTQ+ people. [The Rainbow Report](https://rainbow-europe.org/#8642/0/0) is not looking great, but as far as I’ve understood it is not dangerous to be gay in Latvia. I’m obviously not going to have a gay parade every day on the streets, but I also do not want to be scared of someone finding out. I would love to hear locals’ opinions on this topic, would it be easy to integrate to your society or is this just a really bad idea? Is it difficult to find dates and such? (in queer spaces/apps, I have no interest in chasing after straights)

Thanks a lot in advance and please let me know if there is something I should know before making this decision 🙂

17 comments

  1. If You’re alone then 1800 gross is OK, but it’s all depends on Your lifestyle. Heating in 1 bedroom apartment can be 170 euros. What’s regarding LGBT, then if You will not put in face to everyone that you’re one of them, then it will be fine. Latvians don’t care with whom you are sleeping.

  3. old building apartments are cheap…since ur alone one bedroom apt. is enough…id say somewhat decent starts at 250 and up+utilities (~100 summer~200winter)

    u want a new project apartment one bedroom usually starts with 400 and up(utilities are usually cheaper in new projects)

    unlimited cell plan ~15, transportation depends if public or a car.

    1800 brutto will set you around 1250 netto…you can live of it, but not very well

    I would ask what you do and why would you even consider moving from the north (Im guessing cuz u said ur used to those standards of livin FI/SWE/NOR????)

  5. Nordic person here. Forget your Nordic standards, many things are done differently than back in the North. 1,8k ain’t much, but you can still have decent life. Saving will be hard but at least you will gain some interesting experience.

  6. 1800 gross is almost 1300€ net.

    Junior developer often has higher salary.

    Graphic designer often can have higher salary.

    It is higher than average in Riga, but not by a lot.

    If i would be in your place, i would aim for small apartment at around 300€ per month.

    Utilities + electricity could be lower then at around 100€ in summer and up to 300€ in winter.

    Food could be 200€ ic cooking.

    Internet + phone 30€.

    Transport 30€.

    So should consider 860€ as bare minimum.

    Plus you need 100€ for all sorts of things like clothing, toothpaste, light bulb etc.

    Roughly 300€ could be saved every month. Or used for booze.

  7. The salary is the worst thing here, otherwise it’s fine. Our COL is rapidly approaching Nordic levels but salaries aren’t (housing is still cheaper but not relative to income).

  8. as a bisexual person in riga, i do wanna say the lgbt+ community here is very lively and positive! you shouldn’t have any problems finding friends / dates here. and we have lgbt+ clubs like skapis which is always packed on the weekends, and the vibe is just excellent.

  10. Wouldn’t recommmend due to the salary (if you’re over 25) unless you really really want to get away from where you currently are.

    You wouldn’t be able to save any money without being pretty frugal. Especially in the winter.

  11. Thats not a salary to save, rather enjoy life in Riga. Riga has lot to offer in terms of international people and food and hip places(or working remote and order everything), but its tiny bit less liberal than western europe for gay people. Rent can range from 300 – 450 if you want decent place in good enviroment and closer to center. We have cars to go and scooters to go, cheap and widely spread.

    Remember people are not going to say hello on street and neighbors might just nod and thats it. Larger personal spaces comes with cost. But its less crowded than rest of europe, some like it some dont.

  12. I have no clue what it’s gonna be like for you, but good luck if you do end up coming here. Personally I wouldn’t really suggest coming here even for a straight person, let alone an LGBTQ person, but also you might like it.

  13. One beer on average costs 5 eur, coffee 3, utilities in winter can be super high. The salary is liveable but just that. I doubt you d save enough to at least travel.

  14. Honest opinion here. Latvia is an awesome place for tourism in the summer time. Other than that, forget it. If you got an offer in Transcom or some other company, then trust me on that one, it’s sucks bro. Salary is an absolute shit, and dosent match the everyday needs of anyone. If i were you, I would have reconsidered that decision and looked for a job in a any country in the world with strong economy, and I would have came back to latvia just to have some fun.

    When it comes to lgbt issue, dont have an experience with that myself. But have never seen a gay person gets attacked or anything, but u never know.

  15. Having just spent four days here, my gf and I are considering coming back for a month next summer. The people are great, it feels very safe, costs are very reasonable- and as someone else said, it’s a great starting point for other destinations in Europe.

    Having talked to some locals, I’m sure winters can get pretty grim. Otherwise we might just move.

  16. 1.8 is barely above minimum, if you are living in Riga. You may save alot ..renting somewhere in periphery, BUT majority there will not tolerate LGBTQ people there.

    Stay low (in a closet), dress “gray man” and you will do just fine anywhere. Latvians used to live with their mouths shut and it is hard to knock to someone with your “all shiny – i am friendly” attitude. Perhaps it is different for gay people here idk.

  17. With the current prices, i’d say 2000 net monthly salary gives optimal living conditions. It’s cheaper than the most expensive European cities, but not cheap.

    Being LGBTQ is relatively safe in Riga, but you should avoid living in the bad neighbourhoods (but this applies not exclusively to queers). I don’t know much about dating as a queer man, but at least for women the dating pool is quite small, which can be not fun at times. The good news is that the LGBTQ spaces are very multi-cultural, many events happen in English, so you shouldn’t have a problem making friends there.

    I (a Latvian) personally like living in Riga, but i’ve heard that foreigners can find us to be pretty closed off and sometimes rude. So i’d be hesitant to tell people it’s the best place to live or something.

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